A new study by the German consumer organisation Stiftung Warentest has found that private health insurance does not necessarily offer as wide-ranging coverage as statutory health insurance.

Is German private health insurance worth the cost?

According to a representative survey by Stiftung Warentest, 58 percent of privately insured people in Germany report being able to get a doctor's appointment within one month. Just 30 percent of patients covered by statutory insurance said the same.

These survey results prompted Germany’s best-known consumer organisation to investigate whether private or statutory healthcare plans offer better coverage in all areas, not just access to doctor’s appointments. 

The study’s findings are not as one might expect. After accessing 1.245 private healthcare tariff combinations, the organisation found that just 384 provided broader coverage than statutory healthcare plans. “The majority of [private healthcare] tariffs are not recommendable,” Stiftung Warentest concluded.

Everyone who lives in Germany must pay for health insurance. Statutory insurance payments are 14,6 percent of an employee’s salary, with the employee and employer paying 7,3 percent each. Around 90 percent of the population is covered by statutory health insurance, which the German government subsidises.

Only people who work freelance, as a civil servant or earn over 73.800 euros per year can opt for private insurance. Unlike statutory insurance, contributions are not based on income. In 2025 the average monthly contribution is 623 euros.

Where does private insurance fall short?

Alongside more timely access to appointments at the doctor, private health insurance plans promise a broader range of preventative screenings or medicines without any extra upfront costs.

But, “Many private health insurance tariffs have holes,” Julia Bönisch of Stiftung Warentest explained, “Deficiencies exist [...] in palliative care, outpatient psychotherapy and digital availabilities such as nutrition apps”. 

Stiftung Warentest’s researchers stressed that while cheap rates for younger people can be alluring, private health insurance contributions make less financial sense with age. Since contributions are not dependent on income, private plans can “become a cost trap which threatens your existence”, they warned.

Researchers urged anyone considering private health insurance should look carefully at available plans. Even of the private insurance plans the organisation listed as “very good”, monthly costs differed by as much as 400 euros.

“Anyone who opts for private health insurance should consider whether they need a “top tariff”,” economist and test leader Julian Chudoba urged, “The top tariffs are often very expensive, but the price premium is rarely reflected in the scope of additional health risks covered.”

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